The Rockhurst men's soccer team returns to Bourke Field on Saturday (Oct. 17) to host McKendree in Great Lakes Valley Conference action at 2:30 p.m. The Hawks will play just one match this week after their originally scheduled Wednesday (Oct. 14) contest at Southwest Baptist was postponed due to expected rain in Bolivar, Missouri.
The matchup against Southwest Baptist has been rescheduled for Tuesday (Oct. 27) at 1:30 p.m. in Bolivar and will now serve as Rockhurst's regular-season finale.
Rockhurst enters Saturday's contest with a 4-5-4 overall record and a 3-3-4 mark in GLVC play. The Hawks are looking to get back in the win column following a narrow 1-0 road loss to Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday (Oct. 10). Prior to that setback, Rockhurst battled No. 11 Drury to a scoreless draw in Springfield just days after handing conference-leading Maryville its first GLVC loss of the season with a 1-0 victory at Bourke Field.
The Hawks have scored 15 goals this season, with freshman Riley McGill leading the offense with three. Tommaso Silanos has added two goals while leading the team with 1,129 minutes played. Rockhurst has received contributions throughout its lineup, with 10 other Hawks finding the back of the net this season.
Nick Marchetti leads the team with three assists, while Troy Lor and Daniele Ciancaglini have each contributed two assists and a goal. The balanced offensive attack has given Rockhurst multiple scoring options as the Hawks enter the final stretch of the regular season.
On the defensive side, freshman goalkeeper Luke Strueby has emerged as one of the conference's top performers in recent weeks, earning back-to-back GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12.
Strueby's impressive stretch began against Maryville, where he recorded nine saves and his first career shutout in the Hawks' 1-0 victory. Facing 23 shots from the conference leaders, Strueby delivered several crucial stops, including six saves in the final 11 minutes to preserve the win.
The Lenexa, Kansas, native followed that performance with another outstanding week in goal. He made nine saves in a scoreless draw against No. 11 Drury before adding three saves against UMSL. Strueby played all 180 minutes across the two matches, faced 31 total shots and allowed just one goal, earning his second consecutive weekly conference honor.
McKendree enters Saturday's matchup with a 3-7-2 overall record and a 2-5-2 mark in GLVC play. The Bearcats are coming off a 5-1 victory over William Jewell, snapping a winless stretch that dated back to Sept. 12.
Despite their struggles in the win column, the Bearcats have shown offensive potential throughout the season, scoring 19 goals in 12 matches for an average of 1.58 goals per game. Frederick Thulin has led the McKendree attack with 19 points on seven goals and five assists while logging nearly 900 minutes of action. His offensive production has made him the Bearcats' primary scoring threat heading into Saturday's contest.
In goal, McKendree has utilized three different keepers this season. Filip Borka leads the group in minutes played, recording 17 saves and two victories.
With the regular season winding down, Saturday's conference matchup presents an important opportunity for Rockhurst to build momentum and improve its position in the GLVC standings. The Hawks will look to continue their strong defensive play while finding additional offensive production against a McKendree squad coming off its highest-scoring performance of the season.
Live stats and video will be available for Saturday's match, with links posted on the Rockhurst Athletics website.
